1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card authorization terminal system and, more particularly, to a card authorization terminal system in which a plurality of card authorization terminals are connected to a data transmission line and the data transmission is mutually performed through the data transmission line.
2. Description of the Related Background Art
In recent years, in association with the widespread use of credit cards, a card authorization terminal system including a terminal called a CAT (credit authorization terminal) has been put into practical use to automate the authorization of the credit card.
A plurality of CATs are installed in a supermarket, department store, or the like. These CATs are connected to a card authorization terminal group management apparatus called a cluster controller to manage a group of CATs through a LAN (local area network) provided in the store. The cluster controller is connected to a host computer in a card company through a transmission line. The card authorization data input from the CAT is transmitted to the host computer through the cluster controller on-line and processed by the host computer in a realtime manner. The host computer checks to see if the transaction can be performed or not. The result of the discrimination is sent to the CAT through the cluster controller.
However, hitherto, the necessary data or program is set into a memory provided in the CAT by the down line loading (hereinafter, abbreviated to DLL) from the cluster controller. The DLL denotes that data, command, program, and the like are loaded from the apparatus on the higher order side to the apparatus on the lower order side.
Hitherto, to set data or program into the CAT by the DLL from the cluster controller, the data or program is first input from a keyboard of the CAT or a console of the cluster controller and must be set in a memory in the cluster controller. Next, the DLL must be performed from the cluster controller to the CAT. The two kinds of setting operations are needed. Therefore, it is troublesome to perform such operations and there is a fear such that the data or program is erroneously set by the misoperation.